Circulation-opening guard



April 2% 19240 m mm c. c. sPREEN CIRCULATION OPENING GUARD Filed July 15 1920 are CHARLES C. SIPREEN', WARREN, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL MOTORS CORPORA- TION, 01 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION 01E DELAWARE.

CIRCULATION-OPENING GUARD.

'Application filed July is,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. SrnnEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Warren, county of Trumbull, and State e of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Circulation-Opening .Guards, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which the invention relates to make and use the.

same, reference being made therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. This invention relates to guards for openings' and more especially to guards for ventilating openings in refrigerators.

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of means for preventing articles from being placed so near ventilating openings as likely to interfere with the free circulation of air therethrough.

Other objects of the invention are the production and arrangement of a guard that is simple in construction, easily applied, efiicient in action, and one that is not likely to get out of'order. Y

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the description, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a refrigerator showing difierent forms of the device in position. Fig' 2 is a front elevation of one form of guard. Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 4 is a side elevation, parts in section, of the removable guard as shown at the top of Fig. 1.

a front elevation thereof. Fig. 6 is a vertical section and Fig. 7 a front elevation, of a modified form of the device shown in position about a ventilating opening. Fig. 8 is'a vertical section and Fig. 9 a front elevation of a modified form of the device shown at the left of the lower opening in Fig 1. Figs. 10 and 11 are vertical section and front elevation of a further modification, and Fig. 12 is a vertical section of a still further modification of guard shown about a ventilating opening.

On the drawings the numeral 1 designates a refrigerator having the partition 2 therein which separates the food compartment 3 from the refrigerating chamber 4 and from the food compartment 5. The compartments 3 and 5 have the bottom wall 10. The compartment 3 is provided "with the usual reea movable perforated or reticulated shelves 11.

1920. Serial no. 396,588.

Openings 6 and 7 at the top and bottom of this partition and the opening 8 in the bottom wall 9 of the refrigerating chamber 4, permit the circulation of the air within the food compartments through the refri-gerat- B0 ing chamber for cooling the said food compartments.

In the upper openings 6 is arranged a removable guard which consists of a support formed of U-shaped resilient rods or wires 12, (see Figs. land 5) having short portions 14 of their outer ends bent outwardly to engage a face of the openings in which they are employed. Spacers 13 are employed about the sides and closed ends of the U-shaped rods 12. These spacers may be of any form or shape. As shown, they consist of wires or rods 13 extending about and rigidly attached to the supports 12.

In applying'the device the ends 14 of the supports 12 are bent toward each other sufficiently to enable them to pass through the openingand after being passed through the opening they expand or separate and the ends 14.- prevent the removal of the device in 80 one direction while the spacer 13 nearest the opening prevents the removal of the device. in the opposite direction. In the lower opening 7 is arranged on one side the guard 15 (see Figs. 2 and 3). This guard has the base 16 having an attaching flange 17 for securing the device in position. Attached to the base is the outwardly extending guard members or bars 18 which converge toward the ring member 19 to which their outer ends are attached. These guard members may be arranged in any convenient form or arrangement.

The guard may be attached about the opening 7 in any well known manner as by means of the bolts 20 which engage the flange 17 and wall 2 or shoulder 30.

On the opposite side of the opening 7 is a guard. This guard may be of any convenient form. As shown, it consists of an L- we shaped rod, having the base portion 21 secured to the wall 2 adjacent to the opening 7 between the top and bottom edges of the opening so that its free end 22 extends across the said opening.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7 an inverted U-shaped rod 23 issecured to the shelving 11 in such "a manner that when the shelf to whichit is attached is placed in position in the refrigerator the guard 23 112 will be positioned adjacent to, and in front of the ventilatingopening 6'. 1 a

In the form of the device shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the U-shaped member 23 is attached to the wall 2 at each side adjacent the openand extends horizontally outward and across the opening 6.

I tion 24 at the lower margin of the opening which extends outward from the wall a sufficient' distance to form a guard. This projection may be attached or secured in any convenient manner. As shown, it is made integral with said wall.

In the modification shown in Fig. 12 the guard 25 is attached to the shelf 11'. s As shown, the extension 25, which is provided -with openings 26 for the circulation of air therethrough, is rigidly secured to the end of the shelf 11, as by being made integral, therewith, and being bent to convex form, has its free edge engaging the upper margin of said opening. The convex portionextends away from said opening to thus effectively form a guard for the same.

While I have shown certain forms of the device about the openings 6 and 7 it isunderstood thatany one of the forms shown may be employed in connection with either or both openings. .In using the form shown in Fig. 6 or Fig. 12 at the left of the opening 7 it would of course be necessary to attach the guard to the bottom wall 10 instead of to a shelf unless shelves be employed in the compartment 5.

It is understood that various changes in v the form, proportions and details of construction may be made without. departing from thespiritof my invention as defined in the a pended claims. V

I c aim:

1. In a refrigerator, a substantially vertical partition wall having a horizontal opening therethrough, a shelf adjacent said opening, and a guard detachably attached in said opening and having a portion extending over a portion of said shelf toprevent articles from being placed on said shelf so near the openingas to obstruct the circulation of air therethrough.

2. In a refrigerator, a wall having a ventilating opening therethrough, a shelf below said opening, and means carried adjacent said opening'to prevent. articles from being placed on said shelf so near the openingas to obstruct the circulation of air therethrough.

3. In a refrigerator, a wall having a ven- I through. In Figs. 10 and 11 the wall 2' has a projecmeters tilating opening, therethrough, a support below said opening, and means carried adjacent said opening, and extending above a ortion of said shelf to prevent articles from eing placed on said shelf-so near the opening as to obstructthe circulation of air there- 4. In a refrigeratona wall havin a ventilating opening therethrough, a she f adjacent said opening, and a guard detachably attached adjacent said opening and extending above a portion of said shelf to prevent articles from being placed on said shelf so near the opening as to obstruct the circulation of air therethrough..

5. In a refrigerator, a wall having a ventilating opening therethrough, a shelf below said opening, and a guard having a portion for detachably attaching said guard within said opening, and having a portion extending above a portion of the shelf to prevent articles from being placed on'said shelf so near the opening as to obstruct the circulation of air therethrough.

6. In a refrigerator, a wall having a ventilating opening therethrouglna shelf below said opening, and a uard having a portion for detachably attac ing said guard within said opening, said portion comprising a plurality of resilient attaching members secured to and extending laterally from said guard,

the ends of said members being bent outwardly for engaging the wall adjacent the opening on the sides opposite the guard, said guard including a portion extending above a ortion of said shelf to prevent articles from eing placed on said shelf so near the opening as to obstruct the circulation of air therethrough. v

-7. In a refrigerator, a wall havin a ventilating opening therethrough, a she f below said opening, a guard having a portion for detachably attaching said guard Within said CHARLES SPREEN. 1 

